Gambiaj.com – (N’Djamena, Chad) – The government of Chad has announced its decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying the move follows a review of the court’s performance since it began operations in 2002.
In a statement issued on Monday, government spokesperson Gassim Chérif Mahamat confirmed that Chad had officially notified the United Nations Secretary-General of its “sovereign decision” to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
The Chadian government said the decision was reached after what it described as a thorough assessment of the ICC’s record over the past two decades.
According to the statement, Chad believes the court’s effectiveness has remained limited and that its judicial work has been applied unevenly across different regions of the world.
The government also accused the ICC of disproportionately focusing its prosecutions on countries in the Global South, particularly in Africa. It argued that the court has become a tool of political instrumentalization, with African states bearing the brunt of its judicial activities.
“The judicial activity of the Court has focused on the Global South in general and the African continent in particular,” the statement said, describing this as evidence of a politically selective approach to international justice.
Chad’s withdrawal adds to a long-running debate among some African governments over the role and impartiality of the ICC. Several African leaders have previously accused the court of unfairly targeting the continent, although many African states remain parties to the Rome Statute and continue to support the institution.
Under the Rome Statute, a state’s withdrawal takes effect one year after the United Nations receives the formal notification. However, the withdrawal does not affect any ongoing investigations or legal obligations relating to crimes committed while the country was still a member of the court.
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